


Children of the rain

by Tefnout



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Arkanis (Star Wars), Childhood Trauma, Drama, F/M, Force Sensitivity, Hidden Talents, Psychological Trauma, Redemption, Romance, Rosehux, ginger flower, ginger rose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-10-25 14:49:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tefnout/pseuds/Tefnout
Summary: -“Power must now be bred with precise intentions and unwavering determination. The new Sith order must be made of children born from two perfect parents. At a perfect time. In the perfect place. Imagine it, Vader...a supreme race of Dark side users, picked and selected until only the very best remain”-“Such a plan would take time, Master”-“But time is on our side, my young apprentice”Sidious was wrong.Time was not on the Empire's side and when the sith lords vanished, so did their hopes for an army of biologically engineered force users.But as the New Republic struggles to heal from its victorious war against the First Order, secret files containing Sidious' eugenistic plans resurface and bring to light the ugliest of truths :The real war against darkness has only just begun.(HUX CENTERED FANFICTION)(ROSEHUX ENDGAME)EDIT : after TROS came out, I was faced with a choice : writing the fic as I originally intended or changing some details to make sure it fits the canon. I chose this option and hope you'll like this new and improved scenario ! Cheers !





	1. Chapter 1

There was nothing the Emperor hated more than insolence.

He liked his servants docile, his army disciplined, and his apprentices, perfectly obedient.

Impudence filled him with a fury that made him want to annihilate entire solar systems and even though he knew better than losing his nerve, Darth Sidious was not the forgiving type. Especially when 1.3 billion people told the Galactic empire to go take a flying leap.

Sidious looked down on the planet above which his ship was was stabilized. The pale grey light of the surface almost hurt his overly-sensitive eyes but he did not look away. He had always despised this planet and everyone on it. Despised the free-spirited inhabitants of its woods and river banks, white shores and tall mountains. Despised their tranquil culture, their mystical tendencies, their way of rejecting the Jedi as well as the Sith as if the force was not a privilege but merely a tool, they too, could use and claim as their own without any guidance.

The emperor once thought he had finally managed to tame those calm beasts that no violence seemed to impress and no speech could terrify. The Queen of the planet had bowed to him, agreed on the terms and conditions of the Empire. For a brief second, Sidious had thought victory was his. He had even made the tedious effort of setting foot on the planet, fighting the cold wind and icy drizzle. He had expected scared looks and hunched backs, nervous whispers and contrite hearts.

He had been wrong.

The second he had faced the crowd in the northern capital of the planet, the Emperor had realized how far this world was from being tamed. Thousands of blue, green and grey eyes, sometimes so very pale they seemed translucent, had borne into him, full of fierceness and cold rage. Thousands of faces, framed by light braided hair, had frowned in unison. They had not said a thing. The silence, as the Emperor made his speech, was deadly. Unlike some others, the people of the town had not spoken a word. They had just listened and judged him before slowly turning away and going back to their daily tasks.

On that day, Sidious could have killed them all on the spot. The men. The women. The children. All of them.

His cold rage reverberated through the Force and the bottle of nectar that stood on a black plate, next to his throne, exploded into a million tiny shards. He heard the door of the throne room opening at his back and breathed slowly through his nose.

-“Lord Vader,” Sidious saluted.  
-“Master,” answered the robotic voice of his apprentice.

Sidious turned to properly look at his student and his heart filled with dark, twisted pride. The fact that he had created and shaped this monster of metal and hatred never ceased to amaze him. Darth Vader was his masterpiece, a perfect enforcer whose services it was now time to use.

-“I suspect you have news for me,” the Emperor said.  
-“Yes, master. Our troops have established settlements planet-side and the Queen agreed to our terms. The construction of the new imperial academy will begin shortly.”  
-“Excellent.”

Sidious climbed the stairs back to his throne and sat in it, leaning back until he was merely more than a shadow. When Vader kneeled in front of him the Emperor was briefly reminded of how no one had even bothered kneeling during his meeting on this rainy rock some dared to call a Monarchy. 

-“Now tell me...how is your little experiment going? Project...Harvester, is that it?”

His tone was so contemptuous it would have made a normal person curl up into a ball and cry, but Vader just nodded his head and answered:

-“We will be ready to launch the project as soon as the academy is built and equipped.”  
-“I suppose you have all the force-sensitive children you need then?”

Vader remained silent for a few seconds. His face was unreadable behind his mask, but Sidious could feel his nervousness, his tension and his anger. 

-”You don’t, do you?”  
-“They are...hard to find,” Vader finally admitted. “The Force is hiding them from us. Protecting them. But in time, we will have them and bring them here.”  
-“I certainly hope so. We would not want your grand plans to go up in smoke, would we?.”

The irony was, again, scathing.

-“I have to admit that I am impressed with your ambition, lord Vader. Training imperial soldiers might be difficult but shaping a new generation of dark warriors from the ground up is a thing no one has dared to do since the loss of Korriban. I can only admire your dedication….  
-Thank you master.  
-However…

Vader knew this was coming. Sidious’ compliments were never free, never genuine. 

-"What do you think will happen once the children you so brutally abducted from their families grow up and realize exactly what you deprived them of ? ”

Vader carefully weighed his words.

-“Abducting them as infants will ideally keep them from nurturing any memories linked to their parents and siblings.”  
-“You sound like a Jedi,” Sidious spat with disdain.

The Emperor's hands clutched at the armrests of his throne.

-“The Dark Side is part of our identity, Vader, but how long did it take us to rise to that position of absolute power? Years. Decades. Deep down in our mind, we were still slaves to our own...limitations. Vague memories of a time that came before the Jedi, before the Sith, before we were even aware of our own greatness, kept us from reaching our full potential. Tormented us. Made us...unstable. We were not born into the dark side and had to sweat blood and tears to reach our full potential, wasting so many precious days. Those children you so proudly call your “recruits” will go through the very same ordeal”

Sidious rose from his seat and slowly went down the stairs, his cloak following him like a trail of smoke.

-“Power must now be bred with precise intentions and unwavering determination. The new Sith order must be made of children born from two perfect parents. At a perfect time. In the perfect place. Imagine it, Vader...a supreme race of Dark side users, picked and selected until only the very best remain.”  
-“Such a plan would take time, Master.”  
-“But time is on our side, my young apprentice.”

Vader did not say anything but again, Sidious felt his crippling doubts. He was not strong enough yet to believe in the absoluteness of the Dark side. Maybe the loss of his lover was too recent. Maybe he still needed to be...toughened. Bent like a wire. Sidious gave him his signature smile, a mixture of affection and paternalism.

-“I will not forbid you to launch your little project, in fact, start training those children as soon as you can. I cannot wait to see the fruits of your labor.”

Vader bowed once again and prepared to turn around, but Sidious clicked his tongue and the Sith froze.

-”One last thing, Lord Vader...”

Sidious was now absorbed in contemplating the grey planet below them.

-“I think it is only fair for you to know that while you conduct project Harvester, this world will also be home to another design”  
-“A design?”  
-“You think power is made, not born and that is where you and I disagree. Of course we could just accept our diverging opinions but why not confront them?”

Vader did not like where this conversation was going. Not one bit.

-“I leave the academy to your good care. Rule it as you will and use all the resources you need to train our troopers as well as those children of yours but leave the civilians to me and me alone”  
-“The...locals?”

Darth Vader followed his master's gaze and they both eyed the planet underneath them.

-“With all due respect, Master, these people are known for their...soft disposition. Their lack of passion. They make horrible merchants, dreadful politicians and even worse soldiers. I cannot see what use you have for them.”  
-“Do not mistake their calmness for weakness. They are powerful with the Force. You felt it, just as I did. This...inimitable dump they call home was once a secluded retreat for grey Jedi and even though everyone forgot...the planet remembers. It is infused with raw power, too light for us to feed on, too dark for the Jedi to use. Only the locals know how to channel it, to some extent at least. They will make perfect incubators. ”

At that moment, Vader had an epiphany. 

-“You do not want the resources of the planet. You want the genes of its people.”  
-“You'll come to realize that no matter how _weak-willed_ and _useless_ some persons appear to be...they can in fact become sharp tools. Soon, we will turn the grey heart of this world black and it will be known everywhere as the new Korriban.”

Vader crossed his arms, deep in thought.

-“I will assist you in this design, Master.”  
-“You will not as I am sure Project Harvester will keep you very busy. I would hate to distract you from your objectives”

In all honesty, Sidious needed Vader’s project. It would bear its fruits very quickly and provide the Empire with Force sensitive soldiers both deadly and expendable. Perfect pawns while Sidious crafted the cavaliers. Those would come later, much later...but oh, would they be worth it. The emperor's smile grew wider.

-“Accommodate our best officers on the planet. Introduce them to the locals and make sure they...sympathize.”  
-“What if they do?”  
-“Then we will have to preserve whatever comes out of these “interactions”. By any means necessary.”  
-“Yes, Master.”  
-“You can go, now.”  
-“Yes, Master.”

Vader bowed one last time and finally left the room, his pace tense and quick as he walked down the corridors towards the main deck of the ship. When he reached it, an aid silently gave him a datapad, that he glanced at quickly.

On the blue surface of the object, precise blueprints were shining, little notes floating around the 3D model of a building. Vader read the title written in bold letters, on top of the document.

_Imperial Academy BZ-789_

** _ARKANIS_ **

The Sith looked back at the misty planet, through the giant windows of the deck station. It looked peaceful but dull, like a crystal ball filled with fog. There was nothing majestic about it. No giant fires like on Mustafar, no green forests like on Naboo, no roaring cities like on Coruscant. Just grey clouds, grey mountains, grey forests and grey oceans. The only remarkable thing about Arkanis was the way it was almost pulsating with the Force. It was like a constant vibration, muffled but ever-present. Sidious was right, Vader had felt it the moment he haid laid eyes on the planet, but the energy had seemed far too light to be used by a Sith, no matter how talented or seasoned.

Would children bred with purpose really be able to use this tremendous stock of power? would mixing Arkanisian and Imperial blood be enough to create obedient, dutiful little fighters? Eugenics was a risky business that Vader did not like mingling into but Sidious had a way of asserting his ideas that made it almost impossible to doubt him.

Maybe he was right. Maybe training children was not enough anymore. Maybe engineering them was the way to go. Legacy was sometimes stronger than any teaching and blood was thicker than water, no matter where your allegiances lied. Vader would have watched the world burn to save his mother, back when he was still a man and not a creature of nightmares. He would have destroyed thousands of lives to save Padme's, and he had. Raised the right way, their future prototypes would show the same dedication to the Empire.

All they had to do now was to find the right officers to send planet side. Determined men and women. Ruthless warriors. Cunning scholars and brilliant strategists. Their genes had to be black and red, the colors of the regime they fought for.

They would live and by living, would serve a cause bigger than themselves. They would plant seeds and Vader would be sure to see them grow into bright, venomous flowers.

Time was indeed on their side.


	2. Fall from Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys ! I am SO sorry for not posting in such a long time...I have been through a very busy time of my life and, not being an english-speaker, it took me a long while to perfect this chapter until it was acceptable for this platform.
> 
> Since I started this story before The rise of Skywalker came out, I had two choices : just writing it and not taking the canon into account or challenging myself and rewriting some chapters to make sure nothing is out of place. I chose the latter (of course). 
> 
> I sincerely hope you'll forgive me for having been so absent, and that you'll like this chapter ! 
> 
> Thank you <3

It was not a good day for Dopheld Mitaka.

Or a good week.

As a matter of fact, Mitaka’s life had been a bloody train-wreck for the past five and a half months.

Ever since Supreme Leader Ren had established his dominance on the First Order, things had become rather...chaotic. Orders and counter-orders were thrown around according to Ren's temper tantrums - which happened more than twice a day - aids looked like they were about to burst into tears and troopers now seemed perpetually high on cortisol. The fact that none of them had suffered a stroke yet let Mitaka slightly admiring and he was even more impressed by the fact that the First Order was still functioning at all.

Some part of his mind kept on repeating it was only a phase. A short period of time during which their new Supreme Leader was still adjusting to his new position. Soon enough, Ren would get the hang of this. Soon enough, the First Order would be back to its original state of discipline and military excellence.

However, as Mitaka looked around him, he realized he was probably in complete denial. The situation was looking _bleak_ and his biggest concern was with the superior officers who operated directly under Ren's command. One of them, especially, worried Mitaka greatly.

The soldier discreetly glanced at General Hux, who was currently focusing on his datapad. Anyone who would have looked at the general would have described him as perfectly groomed, sharp looking, handsome even. He carried himself with a dignity and a nobility most imperials envied him and his natural charisma used to be powerful enough to silence any room he walked into.

_Used to._

Mitaka knew he wasn't the only one who had noticed how pale Hux had been looking these past days but he was certain no one else on the bridge had perceived just _how_ critically the general's health was deteriorating. This was mainly due to the fact Hux was doing a tremendous job at hiding whatever he was going through, but Mitaka praised himself on being more observant than the rest of his colleagues and some details had caught his eye, like flares in the night :

The way Hux seemed to limp, ever so slightly, as if his knee was hurt.

The way he breathed, slowly and carefully, as if inhaling caused him pain.

The dark purple rings under his eyes.

The non-existent meals.

The absence of _any_ sleeping break in his schedule.

Something was eating away at him so badly he was self-destructing in front of their eyes and it was not difficult to figure out why.

Kylo Ren was a difficult person to deal with but whereas he treated most officers with a cold indifference, he seemed determined to personally make Hux’s life a living hell. And Stars, was he good at it. First, he had made the _Steadfast_ his new command ship, depriving General Hux of his beloved _Finalizer_. Then, he had made Enric Pryde "allegiant general" - As if this pompous prick needed another title. And finally he had appointed a stormtrooper to follow Hux everywhere, except for his private quarters. That had been the straw that broke the bantha's back and since then Hux had been the shadow of the man he used to be.

e

Mitaka felt his throat tighten. Even thought he didn’t like to dwell on it, he knew the ugly truth : if general Hux kept at it, he would not make it through the month and the Order would be left with Ren and Pryde. A horrifying idea, really.

Only general Hux knew how to properly train soldiers since the death of Captain Phasma. He had learnt how to condition the troopers from the man who had conceptualized the idea in the first place. There was no surpassing that.

Only general Hux knew how to motivate the troops before a battle.

Only general Hux knew when to cut the officers some slack and when to kick them where it hurts.

Only general Hux spoke engineering and mechanics well enough to promote brand new innovations.

Only general Hux had enough nerve to tell over-confident patrons to bugger off while also preserving the Order’s interests.

Only general Hux knew how to _command an army. _

Mitaka knew for a fact that this opinion was rather unpopular among the former imperials such as Pryde but to all the younger members of the First Order, Armitage Hux was a role model.

Young but capable, tenacious and hard-working. Dedicated to his cause and ruthless towards his enemies.

Hux was the face of an entire generation of men and women born from the ashes of the Empire , ready to finish what their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters had started. Soon, a new galactic regime would arise, powerful enough to contain and crush even the most sinister outbursts of violence before they turned into wars. It would bring peace through discipline and rule over the galaxy like a severe but fair teacher.

The Order had already brought most criminal groups and religious cults to their knees in all the worlds under its administration. No more drug dealing, no more prostitutes taken away from their families only to be sold like catter. Soon there would be no more slavery either. The wealthy inhabitants of worlds such as Cantobight might have believed that their money could buy them unlimited privileges but they were in for a surprise. Their days of abundance were numbered and the minute the Order eradicated the Resistance, those greedy little people would discover what the words “submission” and “frugality” really meant.

Mitaka could not wait for this day to happen. He, himself, was born a slave, on a distant moon of the outer rim that the Republic had obviously not deemed _worthy_ of its attention, leaving its inhabitants vulnerable against cartels and gangs of all sorts. Mitaka’s master had been killed by a First Order Raid, when he was only four and he had dedicated his life to the regime ever since. The Order had a vision and Mitaka believed that if one man was capable of making that vision come true, it was Hux.

The general was not afraid to do what needed to be done, and maybe that was why his older colleagues hated him so much. Hux never settled for the bare minimum, the destruction of Hosnian Prime being a striking example. Such ruthlessness in such a young person was rare, exceptional even, and it shone light upon the other officers' blatant incompetence. More Star destroyers would not bring the Order victory. That approach was outdated. They needed brand new weapons, bold innovations, like Starkiller base.

General Hux was a _symbol_ and watching him being thrown around and bullied by the spoiled child that was Kylo Ren made Mitaka's skin crawl. No matter how glorious they imagined themselves to be and despite their constant bickering, the Sith and the Jedi were all the same disdainful, arrogant twats who did not deserve half the credit they got.

What merit was there in being randomly graced at birth with a power you did not even understand yourself ?

How delusional did you have to be, to believe that this power made you capable of competing with men like Hux, who had risen to their current position by sheer will power ?

Mitaka hated supreme leader Ren about as much as he feared him and he could not understand for the life of him why his superior officer put up with the abuse he was put through. General Hux had always known how to fight for himself. He was a predator, not a prey. He should be biting back. He should have bit back already for stars' sake !

Maybe this was all an act. Maybe he was not half as broken as he seemed and was, in fact, scheming the demise of their new commander !

He had to have a plan !

He was their last hope !

Fortunately, Dopheld Mitaka didn't have a direct access to the general’s thoughts. If he did, he might have quit his job because Armitage Hux was what some like to call “a hot mess”.

The past five months had been a waking nightmare for the general. Day after day, he had had to watch Ren destroy and discard everything he had built.

The new “Supreme Leader” had modified the stormtroopers' training program, incorporating more simulation sessions than they would be able to take in the long run. He also had redirected a huge part of their funding towards some of their outer rim's positions, depriving their core systems of a _very _necessary protection against the Republic. Expanding the First Order's territories would soon be proven useless if they ended up being unable to handle the ones already under their supervision. Finally, Ren had launched the construction of two brand new ships, refusing to use ancient but more affordable parts from former imperial destroyers. Dreadful decisions, that Pryde and other officers had been quick to agree with. All those self-important bastards were so busy blowing smoke up Ren's ass they could not even see how delusional and irrational the man was.

Hux, on the other hand, knew very well who they were dealing with and he had tried standing his ground.

The first time Ren had used the Force and almost broken his knee.

The second time he had sent him crashing into the walls of the throne room so hard that Hux had felt something crack on the left side of his body. Breathing had been difficult since then.

The third time he had choked Hux. Longer than ever. Harder than ever. When it was over Hux had thrown up a mixture of vomit and blood. More blood than vomit, to be honest. He had made his way back to his quarters in a blur while trying to hide the fact his entire body was failing him. He had stumbled into his room and swallowed three painkillers before crashing onto his bed.

The morning after, he had thrown up again and realized his own thoughts were now escaping him. Memorizing information had become a torture, synthesizing facts was an even bigger problem and he had had to deal with the his underlings' curious looks when he had started stumbling on his words during a meeting.

That's when Hux had stopped arguing. Ren had made his message crystal clear : if the general opposed him, he would kill him. If he doubted his plans, he would kill him. If he even did so much as breathe the wrong way, he would kill him. Because to Ren, Hux was irrelevant. Worse even :

_Useless._

Just thinking about the word made Hux go rigid as his nails dug into his already hurt palm. All of his life had been a constant fight to escape a burning, everpresent feeling of inadequacy and powerlessness. He had worked, killed, to get to where he currently was, hurting others and himself in the process. The general had erased so many emotions from what he called his "internal database", that he sometimes felt like the numbness in his heart had been there forever. So many memories were gone, too. He did not remember much from his life before he was six. Entire years of his existence were missing, probably because they held too much emotional value and his mind had deemed them distracting. Hux found this theory entirely satisfying. He didn't need neither feelings nor memories and all those losses had been more than worth it.

Until now.

Hux's other hand clenched around his datapad and he felt the sudden need to smash it against the floor. Bile rose in his throat and anger flooded his mind, so powerful that he had to inhale through his nose while closing his eyes. Without even thinking about it, he mentally pictured his rage, gave it a visual form until he could see it clearly, a bright red flame dancing behind his closed lids. He exhaled slowly and the flame vanished as if a soft wind had blown over it.

Opening his eyes, Hux felt oddly proud.

This, right here, was the difference between Ren and himself. Whenever the former encountered a minor inconvenience, he lost control and turned into a supernova whereas the latter condensed his hatred and fury before using it as fuel. The loss of energy Ren experienced each time he was upset was the reason why he would eventually fail. He didn't know how to manage his emotions and resources, just like he didn't know how to properly command the army he claimed to lead. Ren was like a lightning bolt: dramatic and deadly but short-lived.

Hux, on the other hand, was a snow-storm: resilient and deadly when underestimated.

You could easily avoid a bolt by redirecting it against a taller target than yourself but you could not escape a snow-storm. It was everywhere and it didn't stop until its deed was done. Hux would never stop either. He would keep up his efforts for days, months, years even until he killed whatever threatened to kill him and he would outlive them all. He just had to wait for the right time and bite his tongue in the meantime. He would make Ren and his minions pay for every bruise, every cut and every broken bone.

At least that’s what he told himself.

Feeling Mitaka's eyes on him, the general shot him a dark look and the officer quickly looked away.

Even Hux’s eyes were different now. They used to burn with an icy-cold rage that no one really understood. There were rumors, for sure. Whispers about a very sad little boy who had been beaten up so severely his heart had turned to durasteel. Stories about a motherless child, so lonely and scared he grew into a rabid beast. Mitaka had heard them all, mainly from old technicians who had been working for the Empire and who remembered this peculiar kid with fiery red hair. Always alone. Always afraid. But always very polite. Excellent manners and the softest voice.

That Ren had managed to extinguish this hellfire, lit by decades of abuse, was eloquent.

That’s when Mitaka made the craziest decision of his life. The general would go to medbay, whether he liked it or not.

Swallowing hard,Mitaka walked towards Hux. Some would have said his idea was suicide but the officer had always been bolder than most people assumed him to be. Stopping right at the top of the stairs leading to the main deck, he saluted and said nervously :

-Sir, the latest report on the rehabilitation of the _Nebulos_ just came in…

-Excellent, Hux answered, let me see.

Mitaka handed him the datapad, slowly taking a step back as Hux came forward, not paying attention to how close he was to the edge of the stairs. When the general grabbed the device, Mitaka stopped thinking, shut down every single coherent thought in his brain and pulled. Hard. He saw the Hux’s eyes widen as they both stumbled and suddenly, they were falling down the stairs, the edge of each step punishing Mitaka for his idiotic idea harder than any electric shock ever could.

He ended up at the bottom of the stairs feeling as if a family of Hutts had decided to beat him to death with their tails. Quickly looking at the general he realized with bitter satisfaction that his plan had worked to perfection. Hux was laying on his side, breath labored, and when he coughed, blood stained the floor. Immediately, Hux's "personal" stormtrooper rushed to the rescue, but the general snapped at them with a tone so enraged that Mitaka suspected he had made a terrible mistake :

-Do _not_ touch me !

He got back on his feet with difficulty and wiped his mouth clean before snarling :

-I suspect you all have work to do ! Therefore, by all means, get back to it !

Everyone looked away, except for Mitaka who could not avert his eyes. Hux’s flashed dangerously and in a murderous voice, he whispered :

-My office. _Now._

Mitaka hated the general’s office. It was far too bare and empty, even by the First Order’s standards. A normal person would have at least decorated the black walls with a map, plans, a to-do list or Stars know what else, but Hux didn’t seem to want to appear as a normal person or a sentient human, for that matter.

It was one of his greatest strengths. Anyone who would have wanted to emotionally blackmail Hux would have had one hell of a hard time doing so. The man was unreadable, didn’t seem to particularly enjoy anything or anyone, which made him a distant entity, rather than a person you could actually hurt.

Mitaka had always admired this side of the general’s personality but right now he felt like Hux could have shot him right between the eyes without even so much as a second-thought. The office felt like the perfect place for cold blooded murder, especially since the stormtrooper had not followed them. They weren't allowed in the general's private quarters

Hux did not shoot him, though. Instead, he walked towards his chair and sat in it with as much dignity as possible considering his physical state. He was still exuding cold anger and when he spoke, Mitaka felt his guts twist.

-You have exactly three seconds to produce an explanation for what just happened on the bridge, lieutenant.

He didn’t even have to add any kind of threat. His tone was terrifying enough.

-Permission to talk freely, Sir ? Mitaka asked with a trembling voice.

He held his datapad close to his chest like a pathetic shield.

-Granted. And put that thing down.

Mitaka quickly put his datapad on the desk and stood as straight as possible while looking at a point located a little above Hux’s shoulder.

-It w-was the only way to help you, Sir.

Hux’s eyes narrowed impatiently and Mitaka gulped.

-Your...demeanor suggest y-you suffer from various injuries but your medical files show no trace of any treatment or procedure in the l-last three months. I h-had to interfere, Sir, for you-our sake.

Hux remained silent for a few moments and spoke slowly :

-I suggest you pay very close attention to my next words, lieutenant. My physical state is none of anyone’s business and whoever on this ship who, in the future, should have the ludicrous idea to mingle into any personal business of mine shall be punished until they remember their place. Am I being clear?

-Very clear Sir, Mitaka whispered.

-You should deem yourself lucky that I don’t have you executed for high treason and attempted murder.

Mitaka lowered his eyes, cheeks burning but the words escaped his lips.

-With all due respect, Sir, you are being unfair.

-I beg you pardon ? Hux hissed.

For some unknown reason, Mitaka felt empowered by the stupefaction he could feel in Hux’s voice. He inhaled sharply and said :

-Any decision that I might have made, no matter how...”ludicrous” or unfortunate, was made in your best interest. Many of us officers would support you until the end of the line but we currently feel as if you are not on our side anymore !

-How dare you ?! I am your commander !

-You are indeed! You _are_ our commander ! And whatever duty we must perform, we cannot perform without you ! Pulling you down the stairs was a very naive, stupid move and I take full responsibility for it, but I would rather endure your punishment than remain silent in face of our...current situation. The First Order is in danger. The Supr...Lord Ren, has no idea what he is doing, the crew, your crew, is well aware of it. We soldiers from the Finalizer vowed to follow you no matter what but how can we do such a thing when you are slowly killing yourself ? We need you Sir and...you-

Mitaka hesitated briefly.

-You owe us your presence and guidance. Supreme leader Ren and General Pryde are going to get us all killed. You can't let that happen. You can't.

Hux remained silent for a long moment. Mitaka’s breath was quick and he felt like all the blood had drained from his face. He was most certainly going to die for his words but at least it would be a proper death. An officer’s death. He had spoken for the vast majority of the crew and if he had to be punished for his courage, then so be it.

He was already bracing himself for what was coming when Hux’s voice filled the air, strangely calm :

-You are right.

Mitaka believed he had misunderstood.

-S-sir?

-You are right, lieutenant. The First Order is indeed, in danger. You are, however, severely mistaken concerning my...disinterest for your fate. Each and every one of my shifts is entirely dedicated to our cause. Do you think I haven’t given a thought to all of this ? Do you believe I am satisfied with the state of things ?

He was, indeed, not satisfied. Truth be told, he would have been incapable of putting words on the frustration, humiliation and resentment he felt. There was no explaining the intensity of it. He had been robbed of everything he owned, everything he was proud of. Ren didn’t even have to strip him of his titles to dishonor him. The Sith had made his rank a travesty and everyone now looked at Hux the way his father used to look at him.

There was no explaining _that._

-No sir, Mitaka answered sheepishly.

-Then I suggest you keep your idiotic initiatives to yourself. This situation is very far from ideal but we must all endure it until better circumstances allow us to make a move.

The lieutenant kept looking at the ground. He knew he should have shut his ever gobbling mouth but he muttered :

-But when is it going to happen? you have always been able to seize the power you needed, Sir. How is today any different?

Hux remained silent for an unusually long moment.

-Sir ?

His face stern, Hux spoke slowly, detaching every word :

-”Ceasing power”, as you so elegantly phrase it, is a complex task which requires perfect timing. Your enemy must be analyzed and his thought patterns, habits, weaknesses, compiled until you know them better than you know yourself. Our previous Supreme Leader, despite his formidable power, was a man of habits and therefore, predictable. Ren, on the other hand, is a constant maelstrom of emotions. You cannot predict the behavior of a man who can’t even predict what he will have for dinner. One mistake, one tiny miscalculation, and he will have us all killed. This, Mitaka, is how things are different today.

Mitaka remained speechless. He felt like a complete and utter idiot.

-I’m sorry, sir.

-I don’t care for your excuses. You will go back to your shift and I want you out of my sight for the rest of the week. Understood?

-Yes sir.

-Dismissed.

-Yes sir.

Mitaka turned around and exited the room. The anxiety had made him so nauseous that he went straigth for the nearest bathroom and threw up his lunch.

All he wanted was to hide away not for the rest of the week, but the rest of the century. It would take at least that amount of time for Hux to tolerate his presence again. For a brief moment, Mitaka considered asking to be transferred to another ship but he knew the general would throw him into a trash compactor if he refused to own up to his mistakes.

Swallowing hard, Mitaka reached for his datapad. He had to send a request for anxiety pills to medbay. There was no way he was ever going to calm down without any kind of medication. That’s when he noticed his precious device was missing.

With horror, the officer realized he had forgotten it in Hux’s office. Mitaka would have rather shot himself in the knee than go back there to ask for his datapad. He had no other choice, though. Datapads were essential to officers and not having one made you approximately as useful as an Ewok on roller blades.

So Mitaka made his way back to Hux’s office and quarters. Everything was going to be fine. The general would certainly not blame him for wanting to do his job. Struggling not to throw up again, Mitaka requested access to the room, only to find the door was not locked to begin with. Highly unusual.

Mitaka had always had a very good instinct when it came to detecting alarming situations or problematic behaviors. He would have made a fantastic police officer, at least, he thought so.

Tiptoeing into the office, Mitaka called :

-Sir ?

No answer.

-General Hux?

Mitaka stepped forward and suddenly noticed the door leading to the general’s personal area of the quarters was half-opened. The officer could hear the faint sound of the refresher in the distance and he suddenly felt like a lucky bastard. No Hux, no problem.

As quickly as possible, Mitaka walked up to the desk but as he grabbed his datapad, the room went silent again. The refresher had stopped. And footsteps were now coming his way.

-Kriff! Kriff, Kriff, Kriff !

Intruding into a general’s private quarters was already unforgivable enough as it was, but Mitaka knew that if he ever saw Hux right out of the shower, he would not live to tell the tale. The general would _murder_ him on the spot.

No time to escape, the door was too far away and Mitaka frantically eyed the room, looking for a hiding place. Without thinking twice about it, he just crammed into one of the two metallic lockers that were standing next to the desk and closed it as softly as possible. Holding his breath and trying not to move, he watched through the splits of the door, hoping Hux would not smell his fear like a feral animal smells blood.

But as the general came into the room, wearing only a pair of black trousers, Mitaka soon forgot to panic.

He had never thought a body could be _this_ bruised. Hux’s chest was marbled with purple and black stains and his throat was almost entirely mauve. His ribs, obviously broken, were swollen and Mitaka immediately started worrying about one of them puncturing a lung. The officer quickly took in all of the injuries and noticed a blueish mark around Hux’s belly button, a sort of Rorschach pattern that almost looked like a moth. Mitaka had no idea what kind of weapon could create such a peculiar scar and he didn’t care.

Hux looked like he had taken the beating of the millennium and Mitaka suddenly felt bad for pulling him down the stairs. If he had known how injured the general already was, he would have never tried it. Not even considered it.

Mitaka watched as Hux carefully sat on the couch and closed his eyes, laying backward until he looked almost relaxed. It was a strange sight to behold. Hux always stood so straight and wore such angular clothes that it was easy to forget there were flesh and muscles under all this fabric. But as it turned out, Hux was not a robot and had, in fact, a real human body. A body that was surprisingly delicate, considering his personality.

No hard lines there, no angles, no pointy ends. Only soft curves and pale skin. With his hair falling over his closed eyes, Hux almost looked like a teenager and Mitaka remembered how young he actually was. No other general in the First Order was even from the same _generation_ as Hux and still, he was their equal, argued with them and told them to piss right off when they tried their luck a little too much. Mitaka had never understood where the former imperials’ contempt came from, what it was they saw in Hux that enraged them so much, but now he knew. Looking at that slim and vulnerable young man he didn’t even recognize, he understood why the older officers all turned up their noses at him.

Hux looked like a _child_ wearing an armor far too big for him.

The general moved slightly and Mitaka held his breath again but Hux seemed so exhausted that he probably would not have noticed if a wookie had started pole dancing in the middle of the rome. Slowly, Hux went to his desk and opened a drawer from which he took a tablet of blue and purple pills. Mitaka knew exactly what they were : painkillers and sleeping-pills. The general swallowed three of each sort and Mitaka suddenly feared he would overdose, but the general just went back to the couch and laid down, an arm covering his face. Less than five minutes later, his chest started rising more slowly and his entire body relaxed.

This would a dreamless sleep.

At least, Mitaka hoped so. Hux had enough on his plate without adding nightmares.

As quietly as humanly possibly, Mitaka opened the locker and stepped outside before quickly leaving the office. His heart was racing and he almost ran back to his own room before shutting the door behind him. Almost immediately after, he sat on his bed and tried to regain control of his breath.

This was bad. Extremely bad.

He had to do something but his brain seemed to be malfunctioning at the moment and he swore under his breath.

-Fucking hell...

Closing his eyes briefly, Mitaka eventually grabbed his datapad and opened the messaging application, before entering a short sequence into the code of the page.

Immediately, the interface switched from white and blue to black and red. Mitaka was one of the few persons who had deemed useful to create a personal encrypted sequence he could use to hack into the ship’s network in order to send messages privately. He did not trust Pryde one bit and was certain the man spied on the former crew of the Finalizer. Pryde did not like them and unsurprising, Mitaka and his fellow comrades disliked him right back.

Typing nervously, Mitaka selected four contacts in the list provided by the application and sent a short message to each of them.

_Meet me in storage room 27, level 9, at midnight standard time. _

_Your shift will be covered. _

_This is an emergency._


	3. The forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello, hello !! 
> 
> Here we go again with another chapter entirely focused on Hux and his inner world...
> 
> I really hope you like it ! My stories are always slow to start because I really love building my universe and I had a lot of fun writing this particular chapter ! 
> 
> SO MANY QUESTIONS SO VERY FEW ANSWERS

General Hux had hoped that literally knocking himself out with sleeping pills would prevent him from dreaming.

It didn’t.

The second he closed his eyes, his mind drifted away from the _Steadfast_ and he awoke in a forest.

Or rather, in _the_ forest. The only one he knew. The one he had been dreaming about for years.

It was always the same: rainy and cold with gigantic pines, wild streams and misty mountains. In the distance, birds were squawking and Hux suddenly had something he would have called a vision, if he believed in such nonsense. The creatures’ feathers were as white as ice and their long beaks were powerful enough to pierce through a bantha’s skull. The people who lived down the mountain, near the sea, tamed them and took them fishing. As a deeper cry suddenly echoed across the sky, Hux also remembered there were some bigger birds in the area. Those were of the deepest blueish-grey and brave men rode them into battle, long ago.

Everything about this place was familiar yet strange but for some unknown reason, Hux didn’t feel afraid. There was nothing to fear here. Nothing at all.

Without a word, the general got up on his feet and started walking through the woods, following a rocky trail that meandered between the trees. It led to a small lake and a waterfall under which you could shower if you weren’t afraid of getting a cold. Hux would have been incapable of explaining how he knew about the lake, let alone its location, but he did. Just as he knew about the birds.

Hux kept on walking absent-mindedly until he arrived at the foot of a sloping wood line. He knew the lake was on the other side but climbing the steep and rocky path that led to the top of the hill seemed almost impossible.

The general hesitated. Was the lake worth all of this effort? As he weighed the pros and cons, a soft voice echoed right behind him.

-It’s not as hard as it seems, you know?

Hux turned around. A little boy was sitting on a tree stump, a few steps away from him. The child, who could not be more than six years old, wore peacock-blue clothes and long braided hair that someone had adorned with silver beads. A long necklace hung around his neck and the pendant seemed to be some shard of crystal.

Squinting, Hux took a good look at the boy, but the kid’s face was evanescent, ever shifting. It looked as if someone had thrown a rock into a lake, troubling the water and distorting any reflection on its surface.

-Who are you? Hux asked carefully.

The child remained silent for a short while and when he eventually answered, there was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

-You don’t remember.

-What am I supposed to remember?

With a sigh, the mysterious boy rose from his improvised chair and walked up to him. In other circumstances, Hux would have drawn his blaster, but something confused him greatly: either this child was the tallest six-year-old the galaxy had ever seen or Hux himself had shrunk dramatically. Indeed, as they came face to face, the general realized he and the boy were almost the exact same size. Confused, Hux looked at his own body for the first time since he had awoken in the forest.

He was not wearing his uniform anymore, but a black linen tunic with sleeves embroidered with blue fishes that looked like carps. Hux immediately felt the need to take it off. He hated casual clothes. Anything that was not rigid and padded was an absolute “no” for Hux. There was, however a more pressing issue: his hands were tiny, so were his legs and the officer suddenly had an epiphany:

He was a child.

And a small child, at that!

Intrigued, he raised his hands in front of his eyes. Hux knew he should have been panicking but for some reason, he didn’t really mind the whole transformation. It even felt almost...natural. As if this was what he was meant to look like in this phantasmagorical world. The faceless boy, who had been watching him in silence until then, spoke again:

-You really forgot me, didn’t you?

Hux lowered his hands.

-I cannot forget someone I have never seen before, he said flatly.

The kid tilted his head on the side and Hux could have sworn that he was frowning.

-Of course you’ve seen me before. We used to be best friends. Spent all our time together.

-When was that?

-Before.

-Before what? Hux repeated impatiently.

The boy searched for his words and answered:

-Before the Crooked monster came.

-A “Crooked monster”?! What in the blazes do you mean? You’re not making any sense!

-I would make a lot more sense if you tried to remember!

Hux breathed slowly through his nose. This unnerving stranger was not going to let him be until he remembered exactly where and when he had met him. Racking his brain for memories and cohesive thoughts -which in this case equaled to searching for a mouse on the Death Star- Hux asked:

-Do I know you from Jakku? Were you among the young soldiers who lived there?

-No. I never went to Jakku.

-Where then? I was the only child allowed on my father’s Star destroyer. There is no way you lived there too.

-I didn’t.

Hux could feel his patience getting thinner by the second and he decided to do what any child with a temper usually does: stomping his tiny foot down and walking away.

-You’re a complete lunatic! I’m going to the lake and don’t follow me! Or I’ll…

He closed his mouth, suddenly confused. What was he going to say?

-You’ll tell your mum? The faceless kid suggested.

-That’s not what I said.

-But that’s what you wanted to say.

Hux turned around and started walking up the slope. He could hear the steps of the other child right behind him.

-That’s ridiculous, he snarled, I don’t have a mother! And stop following me!

He suspected that his tiny voice did not grant him quite the same amount of authority as usual because the faceless kid laughed.

-Of course you have a mum, stupid ! I know her !

Hux stopped dead in his tracks.

-…. you know my mother?

-Come on, let’s get to the lake and I’ll tell you all about her !

Hux hesitated for a moment.

He had no memory of his biological mother, except for a few glimpses. Everything, he had erased from his internal database and the only “maternal figure” he remembered was Maratelle. His father’s spouse. Maratelle had always despised Hux and on the rare occasions she would see him, she would refuse to talk to him, ignoring him altogether. She didn’t want to acknowledge the existence of the little bastard her husband had spawned with a what Brendol called a “common wench” and maybe she hoped that if she ignored him hard enough, Hux would spontaneously disappear. Whereas Brendol was brutal and noisy, Maratelle was cold and her contempt could burn your skin like acid.

To escape his father’s wrath and his stepmother’s disgust, little Hux had quickly figured out that he’d better be invisible. He would leave the quarters first thing in the morning and remain alone in the dark corridors of the ship, reading books on his datapad or drawing, always in absolute silence. Sometimes, he would go to the hangars and watch the technicians work. That’s how he had started getting interested in engineering.

Spaceships and weapons were easy to understand. Reliable. Unlike people.

Then, eventually, he would come back, always perfectly on time for dinner and would eat his rations without a word. Sometimes, his father would call him a “skinny rat”. Other times, he would tell him to stop stuffing his face like a pig and Maratelle would take his plate away. There was no winning this fight and Hux had started to despise everything related to food. Sitting at a table to have dinner with other officers or worse, a patron, was a torture and he generally had a few bites of each dish so that people would not suspect how much he hated the situation.

Just thinking about all of this made Hux feel slightly nauseous.

Those had been the darkest moments of his life and several times, during his childhood, Hux had considered killing himself.

Being very young at the time, he only had a vague notion of what “suicide” meant but he knew it could be a way out. An escape. If things got too hard. If he got too sad. His father would maybe even feel sorry about everything. Maybe he would miss him. During his most sinister hours, Hux would have rather been dead and loved than alive and hated.

He had never acted on these thoughts though. Mainly thanks to Rae Sloane. The only adult who had ever talked to him as if he was something other than a piece of trash. The only adult who had protected him. Cared for him, in a way. She had been one of the most brilliant officers of the Empire and sometimes, Hux caught himself missing her. She had taught him how to stand up for himself and most importantly: she had taught him that Brendol Hux was not invincible. That had been the most important revelation in the general’s life and eventually he had made sure his father’s ended in pain and misery.

If Rae Sloane had not been there, Hux would probably not have reached the sweet age of 16. Not even 12 to be honest. Hux knew he would not have survived this constant abuse and it made him hate himself. How weak of him to have even considered suicide. How pathetic. Dying by his own hand would have proven without a doubt that he was, in fact, as useless as people pictured him to be. And he wasn’t _weak_.

He was patient. Cunning. Ambitious.

But he was _not __**weak.**_

The general and the mysterious boy walked silently for what seemed like an eternity and finally, they saw it: the lake. Truth be told, it was more of a big pond. Nestled between smooth rocks, it had the clearest, most beautiful water Hux had ever seen and the waterfall seemed low enough to jump from without hurting yourself. It was the perfect hiding place and Hux watched as his companion undressed with the typical clumsiness of small children.

-Are you certain it’s a good idea? Hux asked, raising an eyebrow.

-What is?

-Swimming. You seem a little young to bathe on your own in a wild lake.

The boy crossed his arms and Hux knew he was smiling.

-First of all, we’re the same age. And second, of course it’s a good idea ! My mum says us people from the village can’t drown !

-What kind of absurd idea is that ?

-Don’t look at me like I’m stupid ! The boy argued, it has to do with our lungs ! Mum said we have these small...alvio...alva…

-Alveoli?

-Yes ! We have ones like frogs. Or some lizards. It rains so much around here that something within us changed. A muti...mota…

-Mutation.

-That’s what I said ! Mum says that it happened so that we don’t feel bad with all the humidity in the air.

-Your mum obviously needs to get a proper, basic education on biology.

-Fine, don’t believe me ! I’ll just show you !

Furiously, the child dashed forward and jumped straight into the water with as much power as possible. Hux rolled his eyes. Why did children always feel the need to be so _dramatic _?

Far from impressed, Hux waited for the boy to reappear. Surely, he was trying to stay underwater for as long as possible in order to demonstrate the silly little theory his twit of a mother had nursed him with. Soon enough the young fool would resurface, red-faced and coughing.

Except that wasn’t happening and the lake was deadly quiet. Suddenly nervous, Hux looked down, trying to spot the child’s shape or silhouette under the water, but there was no sight of him. For a second, Hux considered just leaving. This child had put himself in harm’s way and the general was in _no way_ responsible for him. He also didn’t want to be in the area when the “people from the village” would discover one of their little ones had drowned in a mountain lake after having been seen with a perfect stranger. Everyone would blame Hux, and Hux knew it.

He was about to turn around and walk away when something held him back. It was a faint emotion, something he hadn’t felt in years. A mix of worry and determination that he was not used to. A voice inside his head, urged him to look for the child and help him. Rescue him. _Save him._

_Save him._

Those two words made something twist inside Hux’s stomach. When was the last time he had personally saved someone or mended something that was broken? He could not remember. Most of the time, he didn’t care either. Healing the galaxy through the First Order’s domination would make up for all the times he had been cold, ruthless and implacable.

But as he looked at the lake, the need to help the boy became almost intolerable and the general grumbled:

-For Star’s sake!

Hux removed his tunic and carefully climbed down the rock before getting in the water. No cannonball for him, he was way too old -at least theoretically- for that sort of nonsense. Searching the lake for the faceless child, Hux swam in circles, getting more and more anxious as time went by. He needed to dive, deep, there was no other way.

Counting to three, Hux held his breath and immersed himself. The waters were clear, and he could see around him perfectly. Swimming deeper, wincing at the pressure he felt inside his ears, Hux finally spotted the little imbecile. The kid was sitting at the bottom of the lake, grinning and waving. There was not a single bubble around him and the general suddenly realized that the boy’s chest was rising and lowering slowly.

He was breathing. Literally breathing.

With a push of his heels against the ground, the child swam towards Hux and the two children resurfaced, both taking deep breaths.

-How did you do that ?! Hux exclaimed.

The other had a little laugh and pushed back his hair which was now all over the place. Hux noticed that most of the beads in his braids were shaped as little moons.

-I told you. Alveoli. I can’t do it forever, though. My best time is ten minutes. Mum says that if I keep at it, I’ll be able to stay for 30 or 45 minutes by the time I’m an adult. Isn’t it cool?

Hux snorted contemptuously. It_ was_ indeed, rather impressive. Changing the subject, mainly to avoid admitting he was in the wrong, the general asked :

-You said you’d tell me about _my_ mother.

-Sure thing ! What do you want to know?

There were now paddling in the water and Hux thought long and hard. There were _so many_ things he wanted to know he didn’t even know where to begin. He therefore decided to start with the most simple question he could ask :

-What’s her name?

-People call her Siane.

Siane. It sounded so different from “Maratelle”.

-What does she look like?

-She’s beautiful, at least everyone says so. She has long blonde hair. It’s so pale, sometimes, you’d think it’s white but it isn’t. Oh, and she has green eyes.

Hux tried to picture her, without much success. Then, a strange thought hit him : she had green eyes, like him. There was a part of her, _in him._

He found the idea extremely confusing.

-Are you okay ? The boy asked.

-Can I see her?

Hux’s companion suddenly seemed embarrassed.

-Not now. Not until you remember.

Hurt distinctively felt his heart sinking.

-Remember what ?

-I’m not allowed to tell.

-Very well.

Hux turned around and swam back to the rocks before putting his clothes back on. He was struggling not to show how infuriated he was by the whole situation. Anger was weakness and he could not allow himself to snap. Not here. Not now. Not ever.

-Wait ! The faceless kid cried.

Hux ignored him. This was a dream, wasn’t it? He was sure it was, and he wanted out. Important things awaited him somewhere else and he had no time to waste on the pointless riddles of a stranger. The general had not felt this enraged or humiliated in a long time, which was saying something, especially with Kylo Ren as his superior.

-I am sorry ! I wish I could take you to her ! But now is not the time !

-Then, why are you here, pray tell ?

His tone was icy cold. As patient as he was, Hux could not stand people wasting his time. The boy now looked very uncomfortable. Pained even.

-I need to tell you something...

-Tell me _what ?_

The kid was wringing his hands.

-You don’t have much time left.

-_Excuse me?_

-You might think that you can defeat Kylo Ren and take back your place as commander of the First Order again but it’s not meant to be and if you try, you’ll lose ! You need to escape before it’s too late ! You must find what you’ve forgotten !

-How do you know about Ren and...

-LISTEN TO ME ! The faceless child cried.

A few birds took off from a nearby tree and Hux remained in shock. He would have never thought, not in a million, years, that he would let a toddler boss him around but here they were.

-They have been lying to you ! Snoke, the First Order, your father, everyone ! What you see is not the truth. You must find your way back to where it all started or soon, there won’t be a galaxy to rule upon !

-This is insane !

-It’s not ! Escape. Run away and find your way back home while you can before they dispose of you like they did with your mother !

Hux felt his heart skip a beat or two. When he spoke, his voice was raspy and unstable.

-What?

The boy shook his head.

-I’m sorry.

-What did they do to my mother?

Hux never got an answer. As the faceless kid was opening his mouth, the sky turned red. A siren started screaming in the distance, so loud and aggressive Hux thought it was going to make his ears bleed.

-What is going on ?! He yelled.

-The crooked monster !! it’s coming !! run !! and find your way back to us !

-How ?!

Behind them, the lake was now boiling, and corpses were rising to the surface. Half decomposed, they floated aimlessly and all of them bent at strange angles and terribly disfigured .

-Search for me ! I’m Lune ! Remember ! MY NAME IS LUNE !

At this moment, a horrific screech sounded through the forest, sending the boy running away. Confused and terrified, Hux dashed off in the opposite direction, running as fast as his little legs would allow him. As he looked up, he saw that dead bodies now hung from the branches of the trees. None of them had a face but all of them wore long hair and delicate clothes embroidered with flowers, birds or fishes.

Jumping above a stump, Hux reached a tree line so thick not even a cat would have been able to sneak through the branches. A dead end.

-No. No, no, NO !

He ran to the left, only to discover that the impenetrable barrier went on for klicks. klicks. _Klicks__._ Behind him, the screech filled the air once again and Hux felt cold sweat run down his back. He had a vague premonition of what was now coming towards him and when it finally appeared, he screamed.

Screamed so hard he awoke with a start, inside his quarters on the _Steadfast__. _Drenched in sweat, he blinked rapidly and sat, lifting his hand to his chest. His heart was still in place. So were his lungs. He was okay.

He was _alive._

He wasn’t dead.

He wasn’t dead.

As he went straight for his desk and swallowed more pills to help him calm the frantic beating of his heart, a devious little voice whispered in his ear :

_Yet._


End file.
